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There were memories tucked away so deep inside Jacks’s memory, he would nearly forget they existed at all. Yet, a resilient little reminder floated as the guard on his mind softened. Whispers of dreams and nostalgia gingerly awoke a memory.
He was a child. His hair was tousled and unkempt, no matter how much any stylist within the Valorfell region attempted to change that. His shirt was rough around the edges as well. Small tears split at the ends of his cuffs, his dark pants along with spots of dust along his shoes. Reminders of his past adventures , he liked to think. The Valors kept him around despite this which he found curious to entertain. At moments of boredom, he would sit and consider how far he could go. It made his heart rush a bit, if he was being honest.
A young boy can only handle so much lecture during his day.
The morning sun peeked up over the snow-kissed crescents and deep mountain curves. Light washed over the world, shining across the Valors’ winter home. It was a chilling morning, with eerie calmness as dawn approached.
The family slept and ate and slept more, if Jacks’ calculations were right from his observations. It would only be mere minutes before servants awoke to begin their daily duties. He gazed around his surroundings from the thick branch he stood upon. It was slick with rain and melted snow from the night prior. Just one false move and he’d plummet over ten feet.
The brittle branches and leaves covered his line of sight but it was just enough to catch a glimpse of the beloved prize he’d been eyeing for weeks. Castor had mentioned it once but no secure plan had been made. Weeks passed since then and Jacks couldn’t get it out of his mind. So he formulated a simple plan alone to achieve this alone.
Slip into the courtyard. Climb the Macintosh tree. Get the apple. Make it down without a single person giving him a second glance. Perhaps, leave a nice little gift of bird turds on Castor’s doorstep. His friend would appreciate it, he was sure. Jacks smirked as he pictured the look on the Valor’s face.
Considering what the fool had pulled that previous time in one of their endeavors, Jacks was being generously kind. He was so lost within his own mind, he hadn’t caught the figures lighting lanterns around the house with trays in hand. Servants. Far too many wide open eyes.
He scowled. Time was slipping like grains of sand through his fingertips. Jacks had only seconds before one of them would cross the courtyard, glance up and find him up in the tree when he should be in the house, asleep in his quarters. From the corner of his eye, he noticed curtains being pulled. Startled rageful eyes met his and everything came crumbling down. And by everything , it was Jacks specifically.
His foot slipped. Air whistled in his ears as his hands frantically grabbed for a sturdy branch, twig, anything. He gasped, hooking his arm around one of the lower thick branches. Just a few feet elevated over the ground. He gathered enough momentum to swing his legs up so he hung more securely. It was still too high. He felt a trickle of sweat rimmed across his brows as he considered what to do.
He’d sprain an ankle at best getting down. There was no way he’d escape unseen or unscratched. Questions would arise as well. Castor wouldn’t be surprised he’d gone through with this but the rest of the family… not as likely. Jacks snuck a glance down. His heart hammered as a familiar face came into his line of sight. “You just couldn’t resist, could you? I was right.”
A mocking tone laced Castor’s words. The boy stood, only an inch taller than Jacks. It wouldn’t appear he was in fact three years older but it was the truth. Jacks liked to think about the day he would grow taller than Castor. He’d never let him forget it.
“No, I couldn’t resist. Looks like the day I become taller than you arrived sooner than we thought.” Jacks rolled his eyes.
No response came for a moment and he felt his chest tighten, his fingers began to feel numb. In the end, Jacks settled for crawling. He trailed down the branch until his heels touched the trunk of the tree. Footsteps approached. Jacks didn’t bother looking down.
He managed to reach the ground safely and turned when an arrow shot. It struck the trunk. His ear was grazed. A throb pulsed by his head as he brought a finger towards the tip of his ear. Crimson red coated his fingertips when he pulled them back to look.
He glared, balling his hands into fists. Castor grinned but there was no kindness in it. Just irritation. His hands tightened around the bow as the two engaged in a silent competition. Jacks scrunched his eyebrows as drops of blood welled up by his ear. “Fool!” he snapped, breaking the quiet.
Castor simply chuckled, pulling another arrow from his quiver. “You’re about as intimidating as a kitten, young friend.”
“And you, a cub freshly born,” he spat. “At the very least, they actually have hair. Your hair already has gray.” Jacks wiped the thin crimson line by his head. His hand was stained but his attention was elsewhere.
Castor glowered as he pointed a second arrow at the boy. His eyes pierced deeper than daggers and his arrowheads. Jacks grinned as he viewed Castor resisting to squeam from his intent gaze. It was strangely enough a discomfort, shared amongst many.
The blue in Jacks’s eyes weren’t like the freshwater streams rushing through the forest neither were they like a clear day on a summer eve. Jacks’s eyes were more like ice. Cold, soulless. Frozen. One might also say they were like the glint of diamonds that cut without remorse. But, oh were they beautiful , he’d been told. There was a glitter in them that drew people towards the boy as he scoured the town. No one spoke of where he came from and the scowl curving his lips further shut down any curious investigators. Somehow, he’d ended up acquainted with the Valors. No one spoke of how or why. Townspeople were horrified, curious, a few were even jealous but Jacks never noticed how these reactions could occur from his acquaintance with the royal family. .
It wasn’t quite as whimsical and joyful on the surface as it appeared, however. Young lost boy taken in and cared for by the royal family? Yes, that was true. But Castor, along with others such as his family, were notoriously making note of his past life behind Jacks's back, to his face, around town at the shops and stands.
Rumors spread.
I hear he’s got no family!
And spread.
There goes the blue-eyed weasel himself.
And spread.
I’ve heard he’s always lurking, watch out! Jacks giggled to himself when he’d heard that one. In a way, as vicious as it sounded, the fear turned into his favorite playground.
He could do what he pleased and no one questioned him. But no one approached either. At moments like those, he would realize how ostracized he truly was. Children ran wide-eyed when he passed their way on the road, parents left as soon as they came aware of his presence. Ah, it would be important to know that Jacks tended to have a habit of pick-pocketing as well.
He shook his head after a day’s work, tossing out the coins he’d slipped from the pockets of the folkspeople. People would subtly stroll away, quickly taking wider and wider strides. Without intending to, he’d look around with soft eyes. He held the coins, twirling them between his fingers as he sat alone in empty fields, roads, buildings. Time passed idly. The moon greeted him as he walked in no particular direction back home. If the empty servant’s quarters at the Valors could count as a home.
His eyebrows furrowed as he narrowed his gaze at the glittering pitch black. It almost appeared as though the moon grinned at him. He stuck his tongue out childishly at it most nights. Castor took pity on the child one day, noticing his special habit of thieving. It could do wonders doing business with
He took him in and sent him on trips to receive requested objects in exchange for an actual room in the winter home, a few miles in a deeper part of Valorfell. Jacks took the opportunity without question. There weren’t many moments in his life that he tended to regret or question.
Taking the apple tree and getting caught was turning out to be one of them. As he stood, Castor aiming another arrow at him, he nearly felt tears welling up in his eyes. He furiously held them back and settled for kicking Castor in the knee.
The older boy faltered, the arrow fell from his grasp and right then, Jacks tackled him to the ground. Castor’s eyes were in panic as he set his jaw seriously. Jacks attempted his best but in the end, Castor was stronger. He tossed him aside and pulled another arrow pointing the tip at his jaw. “Now, we’re going to be nice and discuss this like civilized gentlemen.”
Jacks let the words escape his mouth, slowly. “Civilized. Gentlemen.” He looked up at the sky, a clear blue. Servants rushed past as chirped harmonies filled the air. No one took no notice of the boys fighting. Castor nodded, dropping the arrow and offered his hand to help the blond boy. Jacks shuffled away and wiped off his clothes. He frowned as he looked at his muddy pants and boots. Castor noticed, picking up his quiver and bow
“We’ll get those washed. Now head to the room and we can discuss what to do next there.”
______
“You understand?” Castor repeated for the fifth time. Jacks nearly groaned.
“Yes, I do! I’m not a little child! You needn’t repeat directions endlessly.” He frowned, picking at his new clothes. They were a touch too big. The sleeves reached over his wrists, the collar looser around his neck. It was the best they could do but it would come with risks. Especially, considering the plan. He touched the tip of his ear again. A twinge of relief fluttered in his chest as he felt the bleeding had stopped. Just a little scar.
Castor chuckled as his young partner strolled out towards the balcony. He followed in suit and gazed across the front yard, their eyes landing on the same beloved prize. The pure red Macintosh. It was the perfect fruit, in size, color, perhaps in flavor. Jacks’s mouth watered just looking at it but he bit his tongue as a reminder that this wasn’t a snack he was retrieving. It was a prize.
There was something mysterious about that one specifically. As far as he knew, Castor said it was enchanted. The apple couldn’t have been enchanted realistically but Jacks let himself believe it was. It was that little part in his heart that he secluded for himself alone that thrummed with wonder at the glimmering fruit. Sunlight bounced off it, winking in the sun.
Castor tapped his fingers along the marble balcony and he pushed away, walking out of the room. Jacks followed. His legs couldn’t quite stride as fast as Castor (he supposed it was the natural speed of the Valor) but Jacks attempted to follow with the utmost confidence regardless. The two boys set their pieces into place.
The first and most crucial step could not go wrong. They were going to need all the servants out of the manor. There were far too many running around inside the house, tending to the other Valors and outside heading towards the center of town. Castor had assembled the perfect plan but there were components that required the assistance of others.
In other words, Jacks and Castors were going to have to enlist the help of a Valor. The two cautiously walked up the stairs and down the halls, passing closed mahogany doors. There were carvings along the hinges, curves and swirls that felt like pictures come to life. Animals danced across the doors. Some with teeth bared, some with doe eyes and fallen hope as arrows crossed in their direction across the top. Jacks couldn’t quite see as high since the doors were so huge but he caught a glimpse of a heart.
A pulse beat frantically through his veins, his footsteps slowing. As he passed each door of the Valors, there was a heart carved into each one. He’d blink. A deep ebony mark in the wood glowed right there before him. A second blink and it would be gone.
“That’s strange ,” Jacks murmured, his hand gravitating towards the etching on one of the doors. He didn’t know who the room belonged to but the closer he drew towards it, whiffs of aloe and honey hit him. His vision blurred, just a moment before it cleared and his vision grew more clear than ever before. He rubbed his eyes over and over but the vibrance in the wooden door thrummed, the pictures seemed to be more alive. His heartbeat quickened, a clear ringing in his ears.
Footsteps shuffling behind the door awoke him from his trance. He couldn’t make out the words spoken but there were people. He deduced at least two.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go!” Castor grumbled. He continued walking ahead, his jaw set and his eyes forward with challenge. Jacks looked at him for just a moment and he nearly scowled. Not at Castor but because of himself. It was in those moments that he truly felt small and insignificant. He hated that. The two continued walking until they approached the door at the very end.
Castor knocked and a boy, a much much older boy, loomed over them when he opened the door. His dark hair was swept back like a painter intricately styled it himself. He wore a cream doublet and some black pants. Jacks felt the tips of mouth tug down when he saw the soft shoes he wore. They looked rather comfortable and it stuck Jacks then how little he slept. A yawn nearly rose up his chest before he coughed it away.
Dane glanced down at him as if just realizing Jacks stood there. Jacks looked away, a strange unfamiliar nervousness bubbling inside his stomach. He tore his gaze down to his shoes. Castor scoffed, mumbling something the boy couldn’t decipher. He returned his attention to Dane and explained the plan.
____
“Why would I change to a bear? This requires something greater. How do we know hunters wouldn’t just come running and attempt to kill the beast, the beast being me,” he jerked a finger at himself. Dane continued, his eyes and mind set far away as he continued. The serpent glint shimmered. He continued, “and the rest of the servants would continue their duty, wouldn’t they? No, no..” Dane mused. His eyes narrowed, a wicked type of gleam washing over his expression as he strolled around across the room. It was about the same as Castor’s, only there were clothes thrown all across the place. Torn, ripped, stained. Jacks didn’t spare that too much attention. Aside from Castor, he hadn’t gotten the opportunity to get to know the rest of the Valor siblings.
Aside from that, he kept his mind on the apple. On how satisfying it would be to hold it in his hands. Perhaps, get just a small bite. No. No, no! He urged his thoughts to center.
“You heard that part, weasel?” Castor knocked his elbow against the boy’s ribs. Jacks shook his head as he focused back on the brothers. They were glaring at him. Dane scoffed, opening the glass doors towards his own balcony. He jumped over the ledge and for a moment, time paused.
Jacks scrambled away in terror, his chest heaved up and down rapidly. Castor broke down in laughter as a scaled creature rose up, steam curled around its nostrils. A putrid scent wafted within the room as a dragon flew off into the distance. Jacks regained his composure as he waved away the scent.
“What did I miss?” he whispered. “Did you figure out a better plan? Well, aside from the lizard.”
“Yes, but it's too late to explain. We’re starting now so get off your bum and come with me. We’ve got some servants to scare. And don’t fear, young friend. There’s still much to learn about the Valors.”
A few moments later the scene was set. Jacks approached the front door. He screamed and screamed, knocking furiously. A servant passing by with a basket of clothes in hand stopped. She set it down and slowly approached the boy. Jacks turned around carefully and slumped to his knees. She took a few steps closer and Jacks looked up at her with a panicked look. “Please, help me. There is a monster out! There’s a monster out there in town! Looked like he was coming for the Valors next.”
Her expression shifted from concern to horror as a growl pierced through the air. A shadow passed over the house, the sound of flapping wings drumming through Jacks’s ears. He held back a satisfied smirk as the woman ran screaming. Castor appeared from a few bushes out in the distance and patted the boy on the shoulder. “Well done. Now, it's only a matter of time before all the servants are out.”
“How are you so sure she’ll get the word out?” Jacks asked, his brows creating a crease as he dusted off the grime from his cheek. “Isn’t there a chance someone will be left inside?”
Castor sighed, picking up a stone. It was gray, coated in dirt but smooth. He ran his thumb over it before tossing it towards the road with a thump! A breeze swept through, leaves swirled around before settling across the spot where the rock had been. Jacks looked at the spot where the rock landed then back at Castor. “I don’t understand.”
“You followed where the rock landed, didn’t you? You didn’t remain on that fact that I threw it. Its essentially the same thing. The servant will immediately tell others who’ll tell others. It’ll point back to her but no one really remembers where the whole fiasco started. Just how it ends. Now, onto the next phase.” Castor stomped away, his strides getting longer until he was a mere dot up the pathway. Dane roared in the distance and Jacks couldn’t help the chill that ran up his spine. He shook his head and pulled up shoes, skipping up towards Castor.
The pathway Castor took them was actually simply another route towards the Valor winter gardens. Parties during the festive seasons were held here but those were still weeks to wait. In this area at the very edge of the property, not many would wander anyway.
This was where one could find materials for orchard picking, planting, and harvesting. That was that they were normally used for. Castor and Jacks had no such plans in the future. There was a grimy lock on one of the sheds in the deep corner of the gardens. Spiders and mites crawled from the hole. Castor gulped as Jacks approached it and blew them off. The little bugs jumped as though they were bits of dust and Jacks kicked the door.
It didn’t do much but he did find it satisfying. I was braver than him, , Jacks thought. Castor picked up some shovel from the ground and hit the lock hard until it jostled and fell to the ground. The metal was rotting from the inside which was peculiar. Castor and Jacks shared a look. They both shared similar thoughts. Perhaps, this was not some garden shed.
Jacks stepped in first, an ominous darkness covered the room. There were no tools in sight. The only semblance light cutting in came from the opened door. But even then, it stopped at the doorway. Jacks slipped off one of his boots and tossed them in. A bear trap snapped the shoe in with a clamp. Castor’s eyes widened and Jacks tossed in his other shoe defiantly. A second bear trap somewhere in the room had caught his shoe.
“What a waste of time,” Jacks mumbled as he stepped back out. The grass tickled his bare toes and he nearly felt the urge to giggle. The spider from earlier approached his feet and the glee faltered. He grimaced, lifting his foot up. He walked out towards the house, mud coating his heels.
Castor followed after closing up the shed. There was little they could do without more materials so the boys settled for one last attempt at climbing the tree. It wouldn’t do harm considering there was a severe lack of servants passing through the house anymore. An eerie silence passed over as they entered the courtyard. The dragon growls echoed over the region but still rumbled the ground.
The magnificent tree bustled as the boys crossed the courtyard towards it. Jacks caught a view of the apple on that highest branch. Leaves brushed against it gingerly as a stronger gust of wind passed. Castor sped up his strides, a greedy excitement in his gaze. Minutes later, they were branches high up in the tree. Castor couldn’t get too high as the branch would snap beneath his weight so the rest of the plan relied on Jacks’s shoulders.
He hooked a hand around a thinner branch and braced himself as he hopped up onto it in a sitting position. The branch bent slightly but it held him. Jacks slowly maneuvered himself in a manner that allowed his fingers to brush the apple. It slipped away ever so softly and Jacks nearly felt his heart burst from his chest.
The momentum from the slip brought the apple back and his hand secured around it. He plucked the fruit and kept it close to his heart. Castor was already on the ground, awaiting him. Jacks tucked the apple securely in his hands. He and Castor slumped to the ground, eyeing the fruit tentatively. A roar rumbled across the sky. Goosebumps danced across from Jacks’s fingers to his toes. Castor pulled a dagger from his boot and sliced the apple in two.
A golden juice lined the knife. Gold couldn’t do the color justice. There was an opalescent glimmer lined beneath the skin and seeds. Castor looked at that beautiful color so intently, Jacks felt he was an invisible presence for a moment as he held his piece.
He looked down expecting something similar. Disappointment swirled through his ribs. There was no golden color in his, simply a pale yellow. The fruit had already begun to brown around certain parts. He frowned before a grumbling in his stomach reminded him that he had missed the morning meals. A hungry desire lit like a fire and the hesitance dissolved on his tongue.
He quickly stuffed the piece into his mouth and a sickening sugary-taste filled his mouth. He nearly gagged before the flavor shifted. While still sweet, the flavor bittered. Almost like a salted caramel. He felt hints of cinnamon and soft buttered toast. It tasted familiar. He continued chewing, savoring it. The famine was eating him alive inside before it subdued after he swallowed.
How had it turned so intense so quickly? He wondered. He couldn’t answer at the moment as he licked his lips. He sighed contently as Castor looked at him horrified.
“All this? ALL THIS AND YOU SIMPLY ATE IT!” he sneered, waving his knife far too close to Jacks’s neck. His mind blanked. He couldn’t come up with a particular reason for it. What could Jacks truly say to defend himself? That he was hungry and purely liked apples? What a ridiculous thought.
There could surely be worse reasons for it , Jacks thought. He shrugged and picked up a random stone from the ground. This one had a swirled surface, a gray and crimson color marbled across it. He hadn’t noticed before. His hand rose to toss it before he hesitated. Without thought, he slipped the stone into his large pocket.
The servants began returning as the rumbling stopped. A shadowed figure walked out from the woods. Dane wiped a bead of sweat from his head, running a hand through his hair. His eyes were animalistic. Jacks’s nerves tumbled as Dane’s gaze fell on them. He stomped over, his nostrils flaring. The little boy thought he might’ve seen the last bit of steam leaving Dane’s nose.
“AND NONE FOR ME?” His voice boomed. The servants that returned rushed their steps inside. Dane’s voice began lowering, slowly to a mute. The vision blurred. Jacks blinked, rubbing his eyes and standing up.
He closed them once more and a new light shined over his face. No Valorfell, no Castor, no Dane. He ran a hand over his hair as he shook his head from his spot on the couch. The room was empty, aside from a few editions of The Ballad of The Archer and The Fox moved around a bit. Someone had been investigating , he mused. No smile came to his lips but he couldn’t deny the small dip in his chest as he picked one up. An apple core sat right beside it.
This time, he laughed. Just to himself, recalling words he’d thought long ago.
There surely could be worse reasons for desiring apples.